Shortnin' Bread
Laurie Berkner (Children's) Lyrics


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Mama's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin'
Mama's little baby loves shortnin', bread
Mama's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin'
Mama's little baby loves shortnin', bread

Put on the skillet, put on the lid
Mama's gonna bake a little shortnin' bread
And that ain't all she's gonna do
Mama's gonna make hot chocolate too

Mama's little baby loves

One little child was sick in bed
When he heard tell of the shortnin' bread
He popped up well and he danced and he sing
He cut up a rug and he danced on a wing

Mama's little baby loves

I slip to the kitchen, slip up the lid
Filled my pocket full of shortnin' bread
They caught me in the kitchen
They caught me with the lid
They caught me with me pocket full of shortnin' bread





Mama's little baby loves

Overall Meaning

The song "Shortnin' Bread" by Laurie Berkner is a children's classic that is cherished for its upbeat rhythm and catchy lyrics. The song revolves around a mother who is going to bake some shortnin' bread for her baby who loves it dearly. The first verse establishes that the baby adores the bread and wants it to be made repeatedly. The subsequent verse tells us that the mother puts on the skillet and the lid to start making the bread. The song then takes an interesting turn, as the mother decides to make hot chocolate as well.


The third verse introduces a new character, sick in bed, who feels better upon hearing about the shortnin' bread. The child ends up dancing to the tune of the song, clearly over their sickness. The fourth verse adds an element of mischief to the song, with the singer sneaking into the kitchen to pocket some shortnin' bread. They are caught by someone, but it is not entirely clear who. Throughout the song, the chorus of "Mama's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin', Mama's little baby loves shortnin', bread" repeats, giving the song its signature catchiness and making it easy for children to memorize.


Line by Line Meaning

Mama's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin'
The baby loves to eat shortnin', which is a combination of butter, sugar, and flour.


Mama's little baby loves shortnin', bread
The baby loves to eat shortnin' bread, which is made by baking shortnin' dough.


Put on the skillet, put on the lid
Mama is going to cook the shortnin' bread by putting it in a skillet and covering it with a lid.


Mama's gonna bake a little shortnin' bread
Mama is going to make a small amount of shortnin' bread by baking it.


And that ain't all she's gonna do
Mama is also going to make hot chocolate to serve with the shortnin' bread.


One little child was sick in bed
There was a sick child who heard about the shortnin' bread.


When he heard tell of the shortnin' bread
The child heard about the delicious shortnin' bread.


He popped up well and he danced and he sing
After hearing about the shortnin' bread, the child felt better and started dancing and singing.


He cut up a rug and he danced on a wing
The child was so happy about the shortnin' bread that he danced like crazy.


I slip to the kitchen, slip up the lid
Someone sneaked into the kitchen and opened the lid of the shortnin' bread skillet.


Filled my pocket full of shortnin' bread
The person took some shortnin' bread and put it in their pocket.


They caught me in the kitchen
Someone caught the person who was stealing shortnin' bread.


They caught me with the lid
The person was caught with the skillet lid open.


They caught me with me pocket full of shortnin' bread
The person was caught with some shortnin' bread in their pocket.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HURT, JOHN S

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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